okay so i bought Boon's Japanese maple DVD and i have been watching it a lot.. i want to buy a maple and do a hard pruning on it and grow new branched...so i've been looking around for tree (man they are very pricy) i found this tree for a really good price...its about 6 and half feet tall with a nice trunk on it....my question is, if i were to cut off the branches that i marked in red, do u think it would be okay...i know maples grow back good but i just want to make sure...the pic with the blue line is going to be the second cut i want to do on it...the red line above it is going to be the first cut....

Well, I would not cut the branches where you have marked. (although to answer your question, the health of the tree would be fine if you did so)

The 2 lowest branches come out very low - these should be left on for awhile to serve as sacrifice branches to help thicken the base. One of them might actually become your new leader, as that would give you much better taper and movement then continuing up the strait, un-interesting main trunk.

There is a problem with the roots, that are pretty ugly right now. But I think if the exposed crossing roots are removed there may actually be the beginnings of some nebari under there.

You could probably make a ton of air-layers off this tree, and have a whole bunch of maples to play with and learn from.

Well, I would not cut the branches where you have marked. (although to answer your question, the health of the tree would be fine if you did so)

The 2 lowest branches come out very low - these should be left on for awhile to serve as sacrifice branches to help thicken the base. One of them might actually become your new leader, as that would give you much better taper and movement then continuing up the strait, un-interesting main trunk.

There is a problem with the roots, that are pretty ugly right now. But I think if the exposed crossing roots are removed there may actually be the beginnings of some nebari under there.

You could probably make a ton of air-layers off this tree, and have a whole bunch of maples to play with and learn from.

- bob

thanks bob, yeah sorry i didnt mean that i was going to cut where i marked them, the lines are future cuts...

Question about airlayer of japanese maple. You mentioned above, doing this in February. I would imagine this is before tree has leafed out? Others recommend waiting until leafing out and hardening off of the leaves. Your thoughts? Is this the same for other deciduous trees, such as elm, hornbeam, etc?

Question about airlayer of japanese maple. You mentioned above, doing this in February. I would imagine this is before tree has leafed out? Others recommend waiting until leafing out and hardening off of the leaves. Your thoughts? Is this the same for other deciduous trees, such as elm, hornbeam, etc?

Thanks, Josh

yes do it 1-2 weeks before it leaves out is the best time. it is the same for other deciduous trees. make sure your scrape off the cambium layer. use new zealand sphagnum moss(or orchids mosss). do not use the green moss. have fun,Boon

yes do it 1-2 weeks before it leaves out is the best time. it is the same for other deciduous trees. make sure your scrape off the cambium layer. use new zealand sphagnum moss(or orchids mosss). do not use the green moss. have fun,Boon

What is the thought behind doing it before leaves come out? Does this seem to work well in locations other than the SF area?

I am no expert but here are a few things to consider to help you understand. Take into consideration the use of what you will airlayer, your geographic location, and the health of your tree. Lets start with the health of your tree, is the tree healthy? Did you fertilize heavy last year to prepare for this? Is the tree recovered from any other work that you may have done to it? Next we will look at geographics. If you are in Connecticut your growing season will be shorter than mine here in South Carolina. You need to consider the time needed to allow the tree to generate roots. Differant species make roots at differant rates. And lastly what part or parts will you use after the airlayer? Lets review plant biology, plants use sunlight and water (really sugar) to make starches. They mostly do this in the leaves. The starches are then sent to the roots where most is used to feed (grow) roots and a small amount is turned back into sugar and sent back up to the leaves where the cycle is repeated. Air layering is posible because you stop the starches on thier way back to the roots, they form a callus and if you keep them moist they will create roots. So... If you are going to discard the old(original) root section and you have a short growing season and your species is a slow grower of roots then you will want to airlayer in February to get the most growing in a season. If you are going to re-purpose the original root stock and you live in Florida and you are airlayering a ficus you can probably start September 1st and take it off on September 15th. Well..maybe that's stretching it a little. I have airlayered about two dozen different species and about 200 plants in the last 25 years in several locations (mostly southern U.S.). This is the best advice I can think of if you need help on a Tree or process: list a specific species, list a specific process, and if you have the tree handy show a picture and describe what you want to achieve. The knowledge and experience on this site is really incredible! Hope that helps. Happy Bonsai-ing, Don.

Um, he lives in the same area code as Boon, timing is same, he is working with a rapidly growing piece of commercial nursery stock. Your timing issues, DonMaple are very pertinent. We are doing things with maples here in CT this weekend tat we would have done in the bay area in January to February.